


30 Days of Mud

by solusmordin



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Drabble Collection, F/M, Non-Chronological, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:39:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3854452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solusmordin/pseuds/solusmordin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>30 slices of life from Korra and Bolin's relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning

**Author's Note:**

> A little unauthorized thing I decided to do, to raise the Borra ships from the depths of hell. Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun!
> 
> Please note that these drabbles are non-chronological, but all take place within the same timeline.
> 
> Also, do comment. I enjoy praise.

This is the fifth time she's spent the night, and she's still not used to waking up in his arms. Korra stirs, her toes curling as she flexes her legs, her back arching in a stretch. She's enveloped in ivory muscle, his bare skin hot against hers like she's being consumed in an inferno. The warmth is welcome in the morning chill, as is the moist breath on her neck. The Avatar squints her eyes against the sunlight, sighing through her nose as she registers the beginning of a new day. She turns her head, her cheek falling to rest on a head of dark, messy hair. _Mmm_ , she thinks, and maybe she shamelessly hums it, too. Bolin smells particularly musky this morning, and though Korra could breathe the aroma like air, she knows he probably could use a shower – especially after last night's activities. Korra watches her hand rise and fall slowly with his firm chest, her fingertips twitching against the warm skin. She glances up to his face, seeing Bolin is still very content in his sleep, an easy expression on his features. One of these features being his chin, painted with a streak of dried drool, and Korra scrunches her nose in a silent laugh.

Korra reaches up to scratch off the crusted saliva with her fingernail, and besides a soft, unintelligible mumble, she doesn't seem to have woken her boyfriend. She reminds herself that she can appreciate Bolin's appearance at a later time, because right now her bladder is demanding a more prudent task. After freeing herself from the earthbender's vise grip, Korra blows out a breath and stands staring down at the pile of hastily discarded clothing. Rushing, she pulls on Bolin's white undershirt for decency, and makes her way down the hall into the bathroom.

Finished with her business, Korra leans over the sink, washing her hands and peering into the mirror at her hair in disarray. The chopped-off locks are nearly to her shoulder now, and it's become a challenge to keep them out of her face. She splashes the cold water onto her cheeks, and quickly returns to the bedroom, finding the contents of the bed have shifted. Bolin has rolled onto his front, and Pabu has made a comfortable bed of the blue and brown and green articles of clothing on the floor, both happily snoozing away. Korra grins and climbs onto the bed, and subsequently straddles her boyfriend's back, rubbing his shoulder blades.

“ _Mmh, five more minutes_ ,” he complains in a gruff voice, but doesn't move to shove the Avatar off of him.

Korra pouts, sticking her fingers under Bolin's armpits to tickle him awake. “Come on, get up. I want breakfast,” she demands.

A laugh gurgles in his throat and he abruptly pushes up on his hands and knees, effectively bucking his girlfriend off of his body and next to him on the bed. Korra has little time to react before the earthbender is on top of her, holding her down with the bulk of his torso. Bolin wraps her in a tight hug and doesn't seem too affected by her squirming. “ _Nooo_ , I don't wanna get up yet,” he whines, nuzzling his nose into her cheek. “Stay here. You make my bed smell really good.”

Korra grunts, and after a few seconds more of struggling against him, she relaxes. If she really wanted Bolin off of her, he would be on the other side of the room by now. “Well, _you_ smell like sweat and dirt.”

“That's okay,” Bolin says through a yawn. “Earthbender. Always smell like dirt.”

“Go shower,” Korra snorts, smirking and giving his shoulders a shove.

“Only if you come with me,” comes the retort, and his voice doesn't sound so sleepy anymore.

Korra rolls her eyes, but can't help grinning at the thought. “You know you're going to be so late if we shower together,” she reasons.

Bolin sighs. “I know.” His mornings for the past month or so had consisted of attending class at the police academy, which Bei Fong was so kind enough to manage a spot for him after putting a word in, and President Raiko paid for as a personal favor. He would never be a metalbending officer, of course, but Lin had assured him that he had the drive and skill to be a competent member of the force in Republic City.

“But _you_ stink, too,” Bolin chirps, taking a big whiff of Korra's hair. “And your butt did some rather smelly airbending throughout the night, might I add.”

Korra's face tints red and she stares at him with wide eyes, as if Bolin had accused her of the scandal of the century. “I-- Shut up!” He giggles, which only makes the Avatar fume. “At least I don't drool all over the place like a polar bear dog!”

Bolin pulls back, a devious lop-sided grin spreading his lips. “Oh, I'm a polar bear dog, all right,” he says, before lapping a wet stripe up Korra's cheek with the flat of his tongue.

“Ugh, gross!” she says through her laugher, pushing him away. She closes her eyes and chuckles, before her eyelids flick open and vibrant green irises are holding her gaze. “Seriously, you need to go get ready for school,” Korra says, ruffling his fluffy raven hair.

“Fine,” Bolin agrees, climbing off of Korra and out of bed. The sheet falls from his naked body, and he puts his hands on his hips, twisting his torso left and right to rid himself of the stiffness slumber brought to his muscles. “My my, you're looking ravishing in that ensemble, Avatar Korra,” Bolin says playfully, admiring the dark-skinned woman lazing in his bed in nothing but his shirt, which was much too big for her, the neck slipping down to expose her shoulder. “So powerful!”

“Powerful?” Korra questions, rolling over to his side of the bed where it smells strongly of earth and sex, stretching her arms and legs languorously as if to give him a show.

“Oh, trust me, it's doing something powerful to me.” Korra blushes and sends the earthbender a cheeky grin. Bolin winks before turning and facing the open door. After the momentary panic subsides, he blows out a breath and steps into his underwear. “Ha… Good thing Mako isn't home, right? Wouldn't want him to have heard everything...”

“Mako was home, and Mako did hear everything,” comes a familiar voice from the other room. Bolin and Korra stare at each other, faces beet-red. “You really need to look into getting your own place, bro. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.”

Bolin locks eyes on Korra, his face the definition of mortification while the Avatar meets him with a sheepish grin. Maybe waking up with Bolin would become easier when they didn't have his brother and her ex looming over them. A space of their own wouldn't be a bad idea after all.

But until then, she would have to bid Bolin's shirt farewell. Deciding she wasn't quite ready to part with it yet, she clambers up and closes the bedroom door. With a fiendish smirk, Korra wraps her arms around Bolin's neck and forces his face down for a deep kiss. He makes a small noise of surprise, but doesn’t waste any time pressing back into her mouth, a hand sliding up her back to cup the back of her skull. “Five more minutes,” Korra insists, and her boyfriend smiles appreciatively into the kiss. If he teases her about her morning breath, she pointedly ignores it.

 


	2. Necessity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Times are changing, and things that once seemed frivolous are now a necessity.

“I can't even begin to imagine what reason Asami would want to see us at her office for,” Korra says, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. They've only been waiting for a few minutes, but she feels like it's been an age.

Bolin shrugs and takes one of Korra's restless hands into his own. “Well, we haven't seen her since we bought our new house,” he reasons. “She probably just wants to congratulate us. Oh, maybe we can have a housewarming party! You know, so everyone can see the finished product.”

Korra sighs. “We don't even have all of the furniture yet.” She averts her gaze from her husband's, and stares at a decorative painting on the wall next to her.

“Hey, why are you so anxious?” Bolin asks quietly, leaning in close. Korra chews on her bottom lip and her eyes flick up to the ceiling. “What if Asami… knows,” she whispers, meeting his eyes while her own are wide with fear.

Bolin blinks at her, raising an eyebrow. “Nah, there's no way,” he assures, shaking his head. “But maybe we can tell her? I mean, we need to start telling people sometime.”

“I know,” she groans, and she feels him squeeze her hand. “But… I haven't even told my parents yet. I barely told you!”

Bolin pouts briefly, then wraps an arm around Korra's shoulders. “Honestly, I think telling Asami is going to be a tiny bit easier than telling your parents,” he says with a sheepish grin. “I, personally, am not really looking forward to that part.”

“Well, yeah--”

“Avatar Korra,” says a voice, and they both look up to see Asami's secretary. “Miss Sato will see you now.”

Bolin and Korra are lead into Asami's office, finding the woman scratching characters onto a sheet of paper, before she looks up with a beaming smile. “Thanks, Kyoto,” she says to her secretary, who promptly leaves and shuts the door. Asami stands and greets them both with individual hugs. “Hey, guys. Come, sit down,” she insists, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk.

Korra and Bolin sit, and Korra is the first to speak, offering a grin. “It's good to see you; it's been awhile. We're all going to have to get together soon,” the Avatar suggests.

“Yeah, definitely!” Asami replies, settling into her own seat and folding her hands on the table. “I've missed you guys, and Mako, too.”

“We've all been a bit busy,” Korra adds, crossing her legs. “But I don't think you called us here just because you missed us. So, what's up? A shipment go missing? Blueprints for a weapon that would be dangerous in the wrong hands stolen?”

Asami laughs a little and shakes her head. “No, not this time. I actually wanted to talk about your big news.”

Korra's eyes widen at that, and Bolin coughs, choking on the air in his lungs.

“Uh,” the Avatar murmurs. “Big news?”

Asami's green eyes narrow suspiciously. “Your new home.”

“Right, yeah. Our house,” Bolin confirms with a stiff smile.

The businesswoman raises an eyebrow, and Korra knows that she senses something's off. They really need to work on being more subtle. “That's a nice piece of realty you two grabbed,” Asami explains, smiling. “I'm surprised that house stayed on the market as long as it did. Two bedroom, full bath. It's in a good area too, away from all the crime. In a quiet neighborhood with elderly people and couples with kids. Not too far from the ferry that goes to Air Temple Island, either. I think it's perfect, I can't wait to see what you've done with the place.”

Korra takes a deep breath, sagging with relief, and Bolin reaches over to squeeze her hand in a grounding 'I told you so'. “We think it's perfect, too,” she says easily.

Asami grins, shifting excitedly in her chair. “Well, I wanted to congratulate you with a little gift. We're going downstairs.” When she stands, Korra and Bolin look at each other skeptically, before they follow their friend.

They take the lift down a few levels, and when the doors open, Asami grabs both of their hands and leads them into the Satomobile showroom. “These are this year's Satomobile models; they've all been test driven, but we haven't officially put them on the market yet,” she says, stepping in front and turning around to face them, hands on her hips. “Well, take your pick. It's on me.”

Bolin's jaw drops, which quickly turns into a broad smile, and an excited noise emits from his throat. He brings Asami into a tight hug, picking her up and swinging her around. “This is awesome! Thank you! Thank you, thank you!”

Asami giggles, and once she is put back down straightens out her clothes. “Really, it's nothing. As CEO, I get a few free ones every year, and I never drive them all. I figured it would be a proper housewarming gift, so you guys don't have to take cabs all the time.”

Korra is still baffled by the gift, and her eyes flick over all the brand new cars, and she's not really sure where to start. She considers telling Asami that it's much more than they really need or could ask for, but she knows that the gesture is a kind one. “I-- Yeah, thank you,” she manages, and her friend smiles.

Asami hugs her, pulling back and still holding her shoulders. “Of course. I know you've got Naga, and she's a reliable way to get around town, but I think a car might be more practical and… necessary in certain circumstances.” She smiles gently, her gaze flicking down to the Avatar's abdomen.

Korra blushes, and she half-expects Bolin to blubber some sort of denial, but she finds her husband is no longer beside her, and is on the other side of the showroom examining a Satomobile that probably costs more than the house they've just bought. Korra rubs at the back of her neck, fingers toying with the clasp of her betrothal necklace as she glances down at her stomach. “That obvious, huh?”

Asami laughs. “No, no. But it wasn't a hard deduction to make. You guys have been so happy in your little apartment in the middle of the city, and suddenly you move to a bigger house in a suburban location? You're ready to start a family.” Her hands slide down to grip Korra's and her eyes smile. “Congratulations, Korra.”

Korra laughs nervously, her lips pulling into a proud smile. “Thanks. But… I still don't even really know how to drive.”

“Don't worry, I'll help refresh your memory. And Bolin knows how to drive, at least.”

“Korra! Korra, this one has leather seats and a radio! And look at the color!” her husband's voice echoes.

“Ah, yes, I thought he might like the green one,” Asami says, smirking. She folds her arms and gives Korra a nudge with her elbow. “Go on, go help him. Because you know once he finds one he likes, he won't let it go.”

Korra laughs, placing her hands on her hips and watching Bolin bounce excitedly around the Satomobile as he checks it out. “Don't worry, he knows better than to make any decisions without me. Bolin and I are a team.”

Asami looks at Korra and places a hand on her shoulder. “That's a good mentality for expecting parents to have.”


	3. Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra receives a mysterious note, and dinner is definitely not served.

Korra's meeting with President Raiko and his council hadn't gone as well as she would have hoped. Problems were occurring with the spirits leaving the wilds in the middle of the city, and roaming through the streets causing traffic accidents. Their insistence for the Avatar to speak with the spirits and command them to stay in the wilds didn't sit right with Korra, and she argued that the spirits belonged to the world just as much as the people did. It wasn't exactly what she was tasked to do, but she had called upon the spirits and told them that they needed to be more careful amongst the civilization; most of the spirits had seemed confused, and Korra knew they hadn't meant any harm, but they agreed and promised to spread the word to the others.

She runs a hand through her short hair, sighing as she opens the door to their (Mako's) apartment. Korra's thankful that Mako had allowed her and Bolin to stay so long as they both paid rent and kept the noise level down, until they could afford their own place. Bolin has police academy class until late in the evening, and Korra considers maybe taking a nap until he comes home. She leans on the counter of the kitchenette, rubbing at her temples. Jumping onto the counter, Pabu greets her, chittering in excitement. She smiles, scratching the fire ferret on the head. “You probably haven't been fed since this morning, huh?” she asks, opening the box where they store their fruits. Korra frowns when she sees they only have a mango and a papaya left, and knows one of them will have to go shopping again soon.

She sets the papaya down for Pabu, the animal nibbling at the fruit with his small teeth. Korra strokes his fluffy fur briefly, before something catches her eyes: a note pinned to the cupboard above her. The handwriting is quickly scrawled and almost illegible, she sees as she pulls it down to read.

**Park. By your statue. Sunset. Come alone.**

Korra's eyes narrow, her brow furrows deeply in suspicion. Her mind jumps to the worst case scenario, that something is very wrong. Someone had been in their apartment, while Bolin and Mako have been gone all evening-- this note was meant for her, and meant trouble.

It's nearing sunset already, so Korra gets going, a determined glint in her eyes to get to the bottom of what this mysterious meeting was about.

* * *

 Korra arrives in the park, giving Naga a pat on the neck as she leaps off the polar bear dog's back. The sky is a brilliant orange, and the low sun glimmers over the small lakes, making them sparkle. The park is scarce of Republic City residents, but at least there would be witnesses if something went down. She walks until she comes upon the statue erected in her honor, placing her hands on her hips as she admires herself carved into stone. She still has a hard time believing she has a statue in Avatar Korra Park, but she supposes that sort of thing comes with her very existence.

Korra glances around again, looking for any potential danger, or at least anything that stood out. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but she refuses to let her guard down. The whole scenario is too dubious.

“Hey--”

Korra snaps around, her first reaction is to send a whip of flames at the person behind her, and she has only a moment to realize her opponent must be a firebender as he yelps and directs the fire away.

“What the heck, Korra?!”

Korra's eyes widen slightly and she smacks her palm to her forehead as she sees her error. _Idiot._ “Mako… Sorry, I thought you were… I don't know what I thought, honestly.”

Mako scowls. “What?”

Korra blushes, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well… I kinda thought you were someone who wanted to… I don't know… threaten me, for some reason?”

The firebender raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Your note was kinda ominous, you know that?” she complains, folding her arms.

Mako blinks at her and sighs. “Sorry. I was in a rush to get back to the station. I came home for lunch, and I had to get back to finish some paperwork, so...”

“You could have at least signed your name or something,” Korra suggests with a snort.

“I assumed you'd know it was me,” he explains, a hand on his hip.

“Anyway,” Korra dismisses, collapsing onto the bench behind her. “What have you summoned me here for?” she says sarcastically.

Mako remains standing, an unusually soft and somewhat worried expression washing over his features. “I wanted to talk to you about Bolin.”

Korra pouts, and she can feel her blood beginning to boil, already seeing where this is going. “Haven't we already had this conversation? I'm not going to hurt your baby brother. Besides, we're adults now. We have an adult relationship--”

“Yeah, you don't have to remind me of that.”

“That's not what I meant!” Korra spits, though a blush rises to her cheeks. “This isn't like what it was years ago. We've grown up since then. We all have. Things are different now, Mako. I'm growing as a person, and as the Avatar, and Bolin is figuring out what he's doing with his life. I was surprised when he told me he wanted to join the police force. I figured he'd just want to be in probending as long as he could… I suppose if being in the Earth Empire army did any good for anyone, it was to help Bolin figure himself out.” Korra looks at her hands contemplatively. “We've all had time to figure out what we're doing and who we are. And we're not confused teenagers anymore. I'm not with Bolin just to get back at you, or something stupid. That was…” Korra closes her eyes and releases a long-held breath. “I'm sorry about that. I was a complete idiot. I never wanted to hurt his feelings, I was just so… I was mad that my first crush didn't like me back, and I went about getting past it the wrong way. And I'll always feel guilty about hurting Bolin the way I did, and even after everything he was such a great friend to me. That's just the kind of person he is, you know? Forgiving and kind. Gentle, loving.” She strokes her fingers across her cheek, as if there is a ghost of his kiss demanding her attention. “We've both changed, and… I think we're ready to have what could have been. Bo makes me happy, and I think I make him happy, too. I've never felt so connected with someone… I like Bolin. I might even...”

When Korra trails off, she looks up to meet Mako's stare. She can't read from his stoic visage what he might be thinking.

“I know,” is all he says, and he finally sits beside her.

“What?” Korra questions. She'd been expecting him to go on a rant about how she was no good for his brother, or at least that she needs to be careful or she'll face his wrath. But Mako looks… understanding.

“I was worried when you first started dating Bolin,” Mako explains, folding his arms. “And I sort of thought it'd be over in a few weeks, since you always seemed like best friends more than, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend… But you're right. You've both changed and grown up. I'm not responsible for taking care of Bolin anymore. He can do that himself. And if he wants to date you, well… I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.” Mako playfully nudges Korra, who blushes and glances down bashfully.

“Thanks,” Korra says. “I… think I'm doing a pretty good job, too. So… does this mean I get the Mako Stamp of Approval?” She gives her boyfriend's brother a sheepish smile.

The firebender chuckles light-heartedly. “Sure. Why not.” Korra jokingly fist pumps, before leaning back with her hands laced behind her head, taking notice of the sky that was now hued with soft pinks and purples. “Excellent. Yes. I have won the acceptance of His Broodiness, so all must be well. All in a day's work for the Avatar.”

Mako rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, okay, future sister-in-law.” Korra flushes and makes a face at that, but not necessarily a disapproving one. “We need food. Come shopping with me, I'll need help carrying everything. I'm making dinner.”

“You always make dinner.”

“Somebody has to,” Mako says with an accompanying shrug as he stands. “I'll have to show you a few things. Bo's helpless in the kitchen, but he's surprisingly tidy for an earthbender. Good with laundry and dishes. Someone's got to learn how to cook so you two don't starve or spend all your money on instant noodles when you get your own place.”

Korra snorts and her eyes roll back to the sky. “It's as simple as following the instructions from a cookbook right? How hard could it be?”

* * *

Bolin comes home from a long day of classes, and turns to his right to find scorch marks covering the stove and cabinets like the entire Fire Nation army had attacked. He sees Korra and Mako, each with their individual cups of instant noodles sitting on the couch with matching scowls. “Uh. Guys? What happened to the kitchen?”

Korra slurps a few noodles into her mouth, and mumbles after she swallows. “We were bonding.”


	4. Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mother's instinct is to forgive; a father's instinct is to hide all of the evidence before mom gets home.

“Work with me, Tunuk. I know you're upset Mommy's gone, but you still have to eat.”

The fussy one-year-old is having none of it however, and keeps his mouth firmly closed and continually flinches away from the spoon.

Bolin begins to wonder if he's even trying to feed him the right thing, and he looks at the purplish gunk in the bowl he's holding. “I know you like mashed-up sea prunes. Seems like it was all Mommy ate when you were still in her tummy.” The earthbender sighs and stares down his son, trying to decide on a new tactic. “Oh! Oh oh oh, look, _look!_ ” Bolin starts excitedly, pointing off to the other side of the kitchen. “Look! Look how interesting that thing is! Look at the thing!” Tunuk turns his attention to the 'exciting thing' his father is pointing out, and Bolin takes advantage of the distraction by slipping the small spoon in his mouth. The baby doesn't fight it, however, and smacks his lips contentedly. “Ha!” the earthbender laughs triumphantly. “I lied. There's nothing interesting over there. It was all a ploy.”

He doesn't have much time to take pride in his baby-feeding strategy, as he hears a series of noises that he definitely should not be hearing, and finally a crash in the other room. Brow furrowed in frustration, he can hear the girls bickering, and he lifts his son out of the high chair and goes to investigate. “You girls know you're not allowed to bend in the house!” Bolin calls out. When he finds his daughters, they're sulking on opposite sides of the room, streaks of black soot across the wall, and a crater in the floor. Finally, he sees shards of red and gold glass scattered across the floor and he gasps. “That… That was a wedding gift from Fire Lord Izumi… That's from… that belonged to Avatar Roku… It was priceless. Ohhh, man… Oh man, we're _dead_. We're so dead.” The panic rises in Bolin's chest as he imagines how livid Korra will be when she returns home to find the relic from her past life has been destroyed.

“It's Liling's fault!”

“What?! Nuh-uh, Naoki firebended at me first!”

“You pulled my hair!”

“Girls!” Bolin interrupts, and he sits down in the middle of the floor away from the mess, Tunuk seated in his lap. “Okay, both of you come here and we're going to talk about what happened.”

The children scowl at each other briefly, before sitting themselves in front of their father. Liling pouts profoundly, and Naoki attempts to fix the ponytail that her sister had apparently tugged at.

“Kiki, you tell me what happened first.”

The seven-year-old sucks in a breath before speaking. “I was trying to read a book, and Liling pulled my hair, so I firebended at her because it hurt, and she threw a piece of the floor at me.”

“Does that sound right, Li?” Bolin questions his younger daughter. Liling huffs and folds her arms. “I wanted to play with her and she was ignoring me, so I pulled her ponytail.”

“It's my understanding that people don't like their hair pulled,” Bolin points out. “I don't like my hair pulled, either. We don't pull people's hair, okay?” The little earthbender looks down shamefully and nods. “And Naoki, instead of ignoring your sister, do you think you could have just told her that you didn't want to play?” He earns a small 'yeah' from his oldest child and she folds her arms. “Now, how exactly did the vase get broken?”

“I think I knocked it over with my earthbending,” Liling admits, her gaze focused on the hands that made the mess.

Bolin bites back an exclaimation of how proud he is, and he nods in understanding. “Okay. Now we need to clean up the big mess you made.” He looks over at the shattered vase and purses his lip. “Any ideas on how we're going to fix that?”

Tunuk speaks up in a fit of incoherent gurgles, and tries to squirm away from his father's grip.

“You know, I don't think that's going to work, but all suggestions are appreciated,” he tells the baby, then looks back up to his daughters. “But _seriously_ , your mom comes home tomorrow, what are we gonna do?”

* * *

 The moment Korra walks through the door, she knows something is really wrong. The house of constant chaos is spotless, and her family is donning smiles that are big enough to keep people under the illusion that there is no war in Ba Sing Se. She doesn't have the opportunity to dwell on it long as her daughters rush up to hug her legs, and she bends down to collect them in her arms.

“I missed you, Mom,” Naoki says, giving her mother a squeeze.

“Me more!” insists Liling.

Korra laughs warmly and kisses her children on their heads. “I missed you all so much,” she says, and she means it. It's been a long five days in the North Pole, and the cold she had always been used to seemed unbearably frigid without her family with her. She stands, giving her daughters loving smiles, before making a beeline for Bolin. “Okay, give me my baby.”

“But I'm right here,” Bolin jokes, before handing over Tunuk, who is squealing happily.

Korra takes the baby into her arms and snuggles him close, nuzzling her nose into his soft black hair. “I know you were good while Mommy was gone, weren't you, my big boy?”

Bolin coughs and presses his fingers together idly. “Uh, how was your visit to the North Pole? With, er, Eska and Desna.”

“They were pleasant, as usual,” Korra drawls, pouting. “But we were able to reach an understanding about not declaring war on the Fire Nation for sending a fruit basket in honor of their birthday, which so happened to contain fruit which they discovered they are allergic to. They thought they'd been poisoned,” she explains irritably. “So, what did you do?”

“What-what do you mean?”

“The house is clean, there's a patch of igneous rock in the floor where someone attempted to lavabend a quick fix, and there's a statue of a saber-toothed moose-lion where Roku's urn used to be.”

“Liling did it!”

“Naoki started it!”

“Did _not!_ ”

“Did to!”

“Hey, cut it out,” Korra shushes the girls, then looks back to her husband for an explaination.

“Uh,” Bolin begins, rubbing at the back of his neck. “There was, um… It was an accident, and the incident was talked through, and the girls were disciplined.”

Liling twists her face in confusion. “We cleaned up the mess and you took us to get mochi.”

Bolin narrows his eyes at his daughter for selling him out, then reverts his attention to his wife who is looking oddly amused. “But we did clean up the mess,” he says confidently, putting his hands on his hips. He then sighs, guilt swallowing him whole, and his eyes lower. “I'm sorry. I know it was this really important artifact from your past life, and it meant a lot--”

He's interrupted when his wife places a firm kiss on his cheek. “Bo, calm down. It was just some piece of art that Roku happened to like and had in his house. It's not the end of the world. Avatar culture and history doesn't end here just because _my delinquent children were bending in my house, which they know they are definitely not allowed to do_ ,” Korra emphasizes, and she can practically feel Liling and Naoki flinch. “The vase was just a thing. An Avatar's legacy rests on what they do, not what they own. Did anyone get hurt?”

Bolin, shocked, shakes his head. “Uh… No. No, no, no one got hurt. Everyone's fine. _Please_ , like I'd let our kids get hurt. So, uh, you're not mad?”

Korra laughs. “About that old-as-dirt urn? Nah, not really. It was kind of ugly, anyway.”

“Ha… Yeah, I thought so, too. What kind of wedding gift is that anyway?”

“Hey, at least it was thoughtful,” Korra remarks, then gazes down to see two sets of blue and green eyes peering up at her. “Next time, don't try to hide anything from me. You know your dad is a terrible liar, you'll never get away with anything.”

Bolin juts out his lower lip, but he can't argue. “Next time, don't be gone for so long,” he counters, giving her a charming smile. “We miss you too much.”

Korra only chuckles and closes the space between them, his arms wrapping around her and Tunuk dozing off between them, and she feels Liling and Naoki still cuddling against her sides. It's evident that this is where she's truly needed most, and the weight of the rest of the world, in that moment, falls away. “Trust me, there's no place I'd rather be than here.”


End file.
